Happy 2010

Our family wishes you a year filled with health, happiness, adventure and serenity. For your enjoyment I am sharing the tenth poem in my project40 undertaking. I suppose this is not technically a poem, but I think it is one of the most beautiful things I've read, so for me, that constitutes poetry.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

Lord make me an instrument of thy peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much as seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in the giving that we receive;
it is in the pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in the dying that we are born into eternal life.

At Home

Fun new slippers from Avery Mae and her parents.


Shiny new piggy banks from Grandpa and NanaLin.

Here is an ornament Lucia received. I asked her what color it was. She said, "pink." I asked her what it was, she said, "a tractor."

Shopping carts make the best strollers.

Elliott loves his new garbage truck that picks up and dumps the trash itself.

More Photos from the Holidays

Where'd the cookies go?






Elliott looking in Nannie's ears with his new flashlight.






Making shrimp omelets with Nana.
Mazie, taking a rest from the festivities.

Walks to the Pier

Several times while we were at the beach, the babes and I walked to a public pier down the street. These yopan (not sure how to spell it, only know what they were from H's mom) berries were in all the yards and they were so vibrant and plentiful. H's Nannie said when she was growing up, people used them to decorate for Christmas. I can see why. They made for lovely arrangements.





Below Elliott is looking at bananas growing on a tree.
The banana trees had these beautiful blooms. I'd never seen any before. They were the deepest shade of purple.

Lollipops

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the only thing the children wanted from Santa was a lollipop. And, Santa delivered. Lucia, orange. Elliott, blue. Mazie Bell, pink. These, as you can probably guess, are their favorite colors.

Holiday Treat

One of Nana's friends made the children gingerbread sleighs for Christmas. Everything about them was homemade barring a few peppermint sticks. The sleighs were filled with cookies and chocolate and pretzels. The sleighs served as decorations for a few days before they were devoured.

Grandma

While we were in Georgia we spent some time with my Grandma. My aunt, uncle and aunt, and cousin and her family came over too. We had a lovely time playing and eating the world's best barbeque. This picture is of Aunt Nancy playing with Lucia. Lucia still asks about Aunt Nancy. They are playing with a puzzle my grandma has had since I was a child. I used to love to try to fit all the animals together.
Grandma, taking a break from all the action.

These pictures are of Elliott and my cousin Molly's son , E, playing with cars. E was very sweet and taught Elliott some of the ins and outs of driving cars.
Here E is showing Elliott how to work a toy piano my Grandma had. The hat you place on the bear's head determines which song he plays on the piano.
All the children loved Grandma's poodle, Misty, but Mazie really took to Misty. For several weeks she would ask me where "Grandma Livvie and Missy" were.
We loved our time in Georgia and this afternoon was one of the highlights.

The Secret's in the Roux

This will be a picture I will always treasure. H's mom, Nana, makes the best gumbo. It is perfect. Delicious. She taught me how to make the roux while we were at the beach. She taught me her secret for a rich roux and let me see her recipe. It was one of the best gifts I received this year. The photo shows Lucia helping her Nana tend the roux.

A New Tradition

This year we did something for the holidays we've never done before: we had a coastal Christmas, a bayou Navidad. Along with H's family, we celebrated the season at Nana and Papa's beach house. It was a nice change that everyone enjoyed.
I glued burlap twine to shells for the Christmas tree ornaments. We had gumbo for Christmas Eve Supper. We had lots of the traditional foods on Christmas day but we also had the most delicious crab soup I've ever put in my mouth. H's Aunt Patti made it and it was so rich and fabulous that I could only eat half a bowl. It is something to savor. Aunt Patti also made the most fabulous coffee drink for Christmas morning. It is a liquor she home-made (not home brew!). You add it to your coffee and top with homemade whipped cream. Divine.
Santa found the children and brought them lots of fun toys and gifts. For the month before Christmas they asked for one thing and one thing only from Mr. Claus: lollipops. Mazie wanted pink, Lucia orange, and Elliott blue. They never wavered. Luckily Santa came through.
We plan to have more Christmases at the beach. It was very quiet on the coast this time of year, and we had a great time. We hope your holiday season was wonderful.

Don't DIY, updated

Here it is a week before Christmas. Here it is: my wreaths that I thought I'd undertake for the holidays. One, above, unfinished due to, among other things, running out of yarn. The other, below, uglier than a run over possum.

Before the holidays, I saw a gorgeous book wreath in a Pottery Barn catalog and thought I'd try to make one for our mantle. Once I was almost finished, many-a glue gun burns on my finger tips, H said, "Why don't you just Google 'vintage book wreath'?" I was too frustrated at the time, but have since found two versions I'd like to try in the future. Yes, two. There is nothing much cooler to decorate with than books.

Click here to read the blogger's instructions for making the acceptable wreath above. This link for the lovely wreath below. *I didn't mean to be unclear. These last two wreaths are from other blogs. I have not attempted to try them, but I hope to before 2021.